Control and guide means for sliding panels and the like



Dec. 29, 1964 R. J. ERICKSON 3,162,905

CONTROL AND GUIDE MEANS FOR SLIDING PANELS AND THE'LIKE Filed July 5, 1963 mfg/5 7 'wz INVENT 1 ATTORNEY United States Patent @ffrce 3,1.6Z,% Patented Dec. 29., 1964 3,162,905 CONTROL AND GUIDE MEANS FQR SLIDING PANELS AND TIE LIKE Russell J. Erickson, 1001 N. East St., Kewanee, Ill. Filed July 3, 1963, Ser. No. 292,687 11 Claims. (CI. -52) This invention relates to sliding panel constructions such as but not limited to window sash or the like and more particularly to means for frictionally retaining selected vertical positions of such panel or sash lengthwise of its supporting or carrying guides.

Perhaps the'oldest known method of so controlling an old-fashioned window sash is that employing sash cords and weights. With the advent of modern light-weight sash, however, especially those with metallic frames, newer and more varied types of so-called sash balances have evolved. None of these, it is found, is suitable in conditions in which the sash, panel, etc. is opened and closed hundreds of times per day, as in the situations encountered in pass-through or customer windows in drivein establishments serving food, beverages or the like in which the pass-through closure is opened and closed at least twice per customer. Sliding closures of this nature are found to be defective in one or .more respects: they cock in their tracks and hence bind and are difficult to manipulate; the guide and control means has relatively short life and the panel becomes loose in its closed position, permitting leakage of heat, and/ or loose in its open condition, in which it will not remain even temporarily.

According to the present invention, these problems are eliminated by a novel guide and control means assuring proper controlled movement of the panel and retention thereof in selected vertical positions, plus ease of operaion and long life. The invention features principally the use in at least one of-and preferably in both-the panel-guide channels of an elongated control element including a flexible hard-surfaced strip, such as metal, against which the associated edge of the panel slides and backing material of resilient compressible composition interposed between the strip and the bottom or bight of the channel in which it is carried. This material exerts a force on the strip sufficient toimprove its frictionalengagement with the panel edge, yet without binding or requiring excessive manipulating forces. The preferred material is sponge rubber, which exerts a uniform force throughout that much of the guide strip that engages the panel. It is an object of the; invention to utilize spongy or sponge-like m'aterial of the neoprene and/or polyurethane type. It is a further object to use strip material of a generally sinuous nature in length. A further object is to employ material that has recesses or pockets lengthwise thereof. A still further object resides in a combination elongated element in which the yieldable material is adhered to the back of the hard-surfaced strip whereby theelement per se may be manufactured and sold for repair and replacement.

The; foregoing and other important objects and desirable features inherent in and encompassed by the invention will become apparent as a preferred embodiment thereof is disclosed by way of example in the ensuing description and accompanying drawing wherein:

FIGURE '1 is an elevation showing a typical installation of a sliding panel such as a sash;

FIGURE 2 is an elongated section, with intermediate portions broken away and omitted, as seen on the line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIGURE 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of FIGURE 1, drawn to the scale of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a small-scale section generally on the line 44 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged elevation of a portion of the control element as seen from its channel-facing side; and

FIGURE 6 is a section on the line '66 of FIGURE 5.

In the environment selected here for purposes of illustration, the numeral 10 designates generally a building structure made up largely of glass panes 12 and intervening supports 14 in'which an opening normally occurs at 16 but which is here closed by a frame 18 in which the invention is embodied. In the case of a pass-through or customer window at a drive-in or the like, the building structure includes a pane 20 bordered at its bottom by a frame bar 22 which delineates the top of the opening 16. The rest of the opening is delineated by a bottom member 24, usually flush with the service counter, and by lower portions of upright members 26, each of which is preferably an aluminum extrusion, for example, having a channel 23 and an integral mounting web or flange 30. As best shown in FIG. 2, the channels lie respectively inside the uprights 14 and the webs overlap the backs of these uprights and are secured thereto as by screws 32.

The open sides of the channels 28 face inwardly or toward each other to afford elongated parallel tracks or guides for a sliding panel or sash 34, and the closed sides or bights of the channels, as at 36, abut the vertical supports 14. It will be understood of course that the installation may vary from one building structure to another and that the present showing is but representative and not limiting. In any event, the basic structure is characterized by the elongated, parallel, facing channels carrying the panel at its opposite parallel edges, as at 38, for sliding lengthwise of the channels. The edges 38 are supplemented by top and bottom members 40 and 42, respectively, both of which, like the edge members 38, may also be aluminum extrusions. The panel frame thus formed carries, via suitable gaskets 44, a glass pane 44; although, in many instances screen and other transparent and semi-transparent or even opaque panels are employed. Here again are details which are not per se material as limiting the invention. The top member 40 (FIG. 3) may carry a felt or equivalent strip 46 to establish a weather seal with the inner face of the support bar 22 when the panelis closed, and a rubber strip 44' is carried by the member 44 to seal with the service counter at the same time. Felt strips 48 are also provided at the inner faces of the panel edge members 38 for weather sealing relationship'with the interiors of the associated channels 28.

The transverse dimension of the panel 34'-i.e., measured between the outer extremities of its edges 38is somewhat less than that between the bottoms or bights 36 of the guide channels 28. Thus there is provided room in each channel for a control element, designated in its entirety by the numeral 50. Each element comprises a strip 52 of'flexible, hard-surfaced material, such as stainless steel, of a length extending from end to end of its channel and of a width substantially but slightly less than that of the channel so as to be freely movable in the channel toward the associated panel edge. -The other part of the element 50 is an elongated strip 54 of resilient,

, yieldable, compressible and expansible, relatively soft cellular material, here sponge rubber of the neoprene or polyurethane type, having the characteristic of exerting on the panel a force in the order of three to four p.s.i. when fifty percent compressed.

The sponge rubber strip 54 is adhered to the back side of the metal strip 52 so that the element 50 is a selfcontained unit that may be manufactured and sold in lengths for repair and replacement. In installation, the ends of the elements are shaped as shown at 56 in FIG. 4 and are secured to opposite ends of-the channel bights 36 by screws 58. The elements 50 are capable of being compressed to the status shown in the lower part of FIG. 4

panel 34, the force is sufficient to retain the panel and yet is low enough to be manually overcome by a small raising force exerted by the user, which may be applied via a handle orlip ed on the inner face of the panel top member 40 (FIG, 3). It will be clear that when the panel 34 is raised-or openedfrom the FIGURE 4 position, the elements 50 are oppositely flattened outwardly as engaged by the panel but expand or bulge inwardly where freed from the panel. The combination of pressure a and change of shape serves to applyan adequate retaining force, resisting slippage, etc. yet permitting selective sliding of the panel with a minimum of manual-effort.

To augment proper tracking of the panel, it is provided I with the stile throughout the length of said stile and for.

with upper and lower glide blocks 62 engaging the metal strips 52 and additional glide blocks 64 running against the outer flanges of the channels (opposed to the felt seals 48). These blocks are preferably made of any of the known relatively hard, tough plastics such as nylon and have an extremely low coefl'icient of friction, especially where used with stainless steel and aluminum. The blocks 62 in particular are round-nosed and centered on the respective strips 52, thus avoiding twisting of the strips about their lengthwise axes.

As best seen in FIGURES 5 and 6, the rubber strip 54 I is of generally sinuous nature in longitudinal section, having at the sidethereof toward the metal strip 52 a series of recesses or pockets 66 with intervening'nodes or domes 68, uniformly spaced apart lengthwise thereof. This gives the strip at its opposite side an alternating second series of pockets or recesses 70 andintcrvening domes 72, all

of which contributes to the uniformity of action of the strip throughout its length. The side of the strip at which the domes 72 appear has diagonal grooves '74, which, in

the strips 54 are cut.

It will thus be seen from the foregoing that a novel construction has been provided for achieving the objects and having the features aforementioned. These as well as others will readily occur to those versed in the. art, as will modifications and alterations in the preferred embodiment shown, all of which may be achieved without'departure from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is: r 1. Closure structure, comprising a pair of elongated parallel stiff channels spaced apart and having their open causing the strip beyond the length of the stile to bulge into the path of at least one of the rails and the junction of such rail with said stile.

2. The invention defined in claim 1, in which: said material is sponge rubber.

3.Tl1'e inventiondefined in claim 2, in which: said material is sponge rubber of the class including neoprene.

4. The invention defined in claim 2, in whichpsaid material is sponge. rubber of the class including polyurethane. a

5. The invention defined in clairn l, in which: said material is sponge rubber capable of exerting a pressure in the order of three to four p.s.i. on the panel at approximately 50% compression.

6 The invention defined in claim 1, in which; rial is adhered to only the bight-facing side of the associated strip. 7 V i 7. The invention defined in claim 1, in which: the material is an elongated strip having agenerally sinuous configuration lengthwise thereof.

8. The invention defined in claim 1, in which: the material is an elongated strip having a lengthwise series of recesses uniformly spaced lengthwise thereof at the side thereof containing the hard-surfaced strip. l

' 9. The invention defined in claim 8, in which the material strip has a second series of recesses uniformly spaced lengthwise thereof at the side thereof facing the bight of the channel and alternated with the recesses in thefirstnamed series.'

10, Closurestructure, comprising a pair of elongated parallel stiff channels spaced apart and having their open sides facing each other, a rectangular panel having, op: posite stiles and opposite rails and carried via its stiles in'the channels for selective positioninglengthwise of the channels, said channels being longer than .the stiles, a

this particular case, occur throughout the sheet from which a sides facing: each other, a rectangular panel having opposite stiles 'and opposite rails and carried via its stiles in the channels for selective positioning lengthwise of said channels, the distance between the railsbeing less than the length of said channels, a pair of channel-mounted-and received 'control means, each disposed wholly within a] stile, anda member of resilient compressible and expan-.

sible non-metallic material substantially coextensive in length with said strip and interposed between said strip and the bight of the channel and comprising the sole means for pressing said strip into frictional engagement pair of channel-mounted and received means for frictionally engaging the stiles, each of said means being disposed wholly within a channel and at least one of said means} including an elongated flexible strip of hard-surfaced ribbon-like material extending lengthwise of its channel for a length greater thanthe associated stile and interposed between said stile and the bight of the channel and in spaced relation to said bightand'confined laterally by.

the flanges of said channel, means connecting the strip at only its opposite ends to the channel to enable bowing of the intermediate portion. of the strip toward the stile,

and a member of resilient compressible and :expansible non-metallic. material substantially coextensive in length with the strip and interposed betweensaid strip and the bight of the channel and comprising the sole means for pressing thestrip into engagement with the stile through- J out the length of the latter and for causingthe stripto' bulge beyond the stile in portions thereof beyond the length of said stile.

11. The invention defined in claim 10, in which: said material issp'onge rubber.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED srArEs PATENTS 1,682,669 f8/28 Freeland '2'0-52 2,688,165 9/54 Kinish ,20 '52.4 2,743,127 4/56 Amy .20-.54 X 2,804,181 8/57 Haynes 20,-54 X HARRISON R. MOSELEY, Primary Examiner.

the mate i 

1. CLOSURE STRUCTURE, COMPRISING A PAIR OF ELONGATED PARALLEL STIFF CHANNELS SPACED APART AND HAVING THEIR OPEN SIDES FACING EACH OTHER, A RECTANGULAR PANEL HAVING OPPOSITE STILES AND OPPOSITE RAILS AND CARRIED VIA ITS STILES IN THE CHANNELS FOR SELECTIVE POSITIONING LENGTHWISE OF SAID CHANNELS, THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE RAILS BEING LESS THAN THE LENGTH OF SAID CHANNELS, A PAIR OF CHANNEL-MOUNTED AND RECEIVED CONTROL MEANS, EACH DISPOSED WHOLLY WITHIN A CHANNEL FOR FRICTIONALLY RETAINING THE PANEL IN SELECTED POSITIONS, EACH MEANS INCLUDING AN ELONGATED FLEXIBLE STRIP OF HARD-SURFACED RIBBON-LIKE MATERIAL EXTENDING LENGTHWISE OF ITS CHANNEL FOR A LENGTH GREATER THAN THAT OF THE ASSOCIATED STILE AND INTERPOSED BETWEEN SAID STILE AND THE BIGHT OF SAID CHANNEL AND IN SPACED RELATION TO SAID BIGHT AND CONFINED LATERALLY BY THE FLANGES OF SAID CHANNEL, MEANS CONNECTING THE STRIP AT ONLY ITS OPPOSITE ENDS TO THE CHANNEL TO ENABLE BOWING OF THE STRIP TOWARD THE ASSOCIATED STILE, AND A MEMBER OF RESILIENT COMPRESSIBLE AND EXPANSIBLE NON-METALLIC MATERIAL SUBSTANTIALLY COEXTENSIVE IN LENGTH WITH SAID STRIP AND INTERPOSED BETWEEN SAID STRIP AND THE BIGHT OF THE CHANNEL AND COMPRISING THE SOLE MEANS FOR PRESSING SAID STRIP INTO FRICTIONAL ENGAGEMENT WITH THE STILE THROUGHOUT THE LENGTH OF SAID STILE AND FOR CAUSING THE STRIP BEYOND THE LENGTH OF THE STILE TO BULGE INTO THE PATH OF AT LEAST ONE OF THE RAILS AND THE JUNCTION OF SUCH RAIL WITH SAID STILE. 